RM 30 rear ambience tweeter

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jonbee

RM 30 rear ambience tweeter
« on: 28 Dec 2007, 04:29 am »
I've owned my RM30s for over a year, and from the start they were the finest sounding speakers I've owned. In that time I replaced my amp and pre (now a PS Audio GCC100 ICE base integrated), my player (maxed out Sony/Modwright 9100), added a pair of Carver subs which I veneered w/ granite, and added some room tuning for early reflections. All these added more and more to the already great quality. Yet there was one area of performance that I could not get right. With the CDWG in place, the sound was too laid back overall, no matter what I did to adjust, and without the CDWG, it was too aggressive.
I spent 6 months working this issue every way I could, and I finally tried something I've done with many speakers over the years- I added a rear ambience tweeter. I use an Audax titanium dome tweeter, with a simple bypassed 1uf cap and a 1.5 ohm resistor. I built enclosures for them and with the cdwgs in place the result was exactly what I was looking for. It adds some extra depth and spaciousness, and just enough energy in the presence range. It does not degrade the performance of the FSTs, and that the sound is now not just the best I've owned, but the best I've heard at any price. It is scary good.
As always, while this tweak works for me in my system and room, I make no claims about whether it may work for others. It is very simple to try, however.

PMAT

Re: RM 30 rear ambience tweeter
« Reply #1 on: 28 Dec 2007, 05:23 am »
Can we see them?

jonbee

Re: RM 30 rear ambience tweeter
« Reply #2 on: 28 Dec 2007, 08:27 pm »
I will post pics this weekend if I can.
When you add rear radiation to the mix, a new set of issues comes up. I was using absorption panels behind the speakers, and I had to cut them down so that they didn't simply absorb the ambience output. The distance from the rear wall, and the rear wall material all affect how the blend occurs. My speakers are only a foot or so from the rear wall.
My experience with these tweeters has been that they are nearly always a custom setup. Xover point and resistance padding always seem to need tweaking to get the blend right. That said, I've added them to many fine front radiator speakers, often getting good results.

John Casler

Re: RM 30 rear ambience tweeter
« Reply #3 on: 28 Dec 2007, 09:36 pm »
Hi Jonbee,

While not my cup o' tea (I seriously damp the front wall) it is always great to see that one little "tweak" can get you a SONIC that enriches your overall presentation.

Brian actually used to have "top firing" tweeters with their own L-pad for blending, in some of the older models like the Tower II's.